Imperative sentences

Imperative sentences express commands. Besides commands proper imperative sentences may express prohibition, a request, an invitation, a warning, persuasion, etc.

Formally commands are marked by the predicate verb in the imperative mood, absence of the subject, and the use of the auxiliary do in negative or emphatic sentences with the verb to be:

Don’t be afraid of them.

Speak louder, please.

Would you do me a favour?

Let Philip have a look at it.

Let’s go outside.

Don’t let’s quarrel about trifles.

Let’s not quarrel about trifles.

Somebody switch off light.

Silence, please (a verbless command).

Exclamatory sentences

Exclamatory sentences express ideas emphatically:

What a funny story she told us!

How beautiful her voice is!

How I hate posters!

What a situation!

Isn’t it funny!

Doesn’t she sing beautifully!

If only I were young again!

Fire!( one-member sentence)

To think that she should have said so!

THE SUBJECT

Every English sentence except the one-member and the imperative must have a subject. The subject is one of the two main parts of the sentence. The subject is that which is spoken of. In declarative sentences it comes before the predicate, but in questions its position is after an auxiliary verb. The subject determines the form of the predicate, which agrees with it in number and person.

Ways of expressing the Subject

The subject can be expressed by these parts of speech and groups of words which are connected with the idea of subjectivity:

1. A noun in the common case or a nominal phrase with a noun:

Love filled his soul.

A great number of trees were cut down.

2. A personal pronoun in the nominative case or a nominal phrase with a pronoun:

She is a very talkative person.

It never rains, but it pours.

Who told you this?

Her dress was the best at the party.

3. A numeral or a nominal phrase with a numeral:

Seven is a lucky number.

Two thousands more were believed to be injured.

4. An infinitive or a gerund:

Seeing is believing.

To understand is to forgive.

5. An infinitive phrase or a gerundial phrase:

To go on like this was dangerous.

Doing several things at a time doesn't bring good results.

6. An Infinitive predicative construction or a gerundial construction:

For me to go there is impossible.

Your doing this is very strange.

7. A clause, which makes the whole sentence a complex one:

What is done cannot be undone.

What he expected began.

8. Any word or words used as quotations:

Your "i" must be dotted.

"The War of the Worlds" was first published in 1898.

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